Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? A Fast, Clear, and Fun Explanation of the Economics You Need For Success in Your Career, Business, and Investments

For a polemic, it's not bad. There are some bits that are just presented clearly and succinctly.

But there's a difference between cause & effect, effect & cause, and correlation that Maybury either doesn't understand or refuses to examine. And there's no reference here to minimum wage at all. And I wish there was some advice about how to 'fix' Medicare rather than a blanket statement to the effect that it's going to implode catastrophically.

Nor is mention made of choices. Supposedly voters always want more services and lower taxes. No, we're not that stupid. What we want is less corruption and waste. And while we're at it, fewer fighter jets and other war-expenses.... Maybury just never seems to look at the other sides of any issue.

So, show more no, I didn't read every word. Maybe I missed something great, so I shan't rate. Still, the only bit I actually recommend is the two page appendix of "Measures of Money Supply." Currency vs. monetary base vs. MZM vs. M36 etc. I'll photocopy that spread from my library copy of this book and then do more research later.

But I will not read more by the author nor will I recommend his works. show less

This is an explanation of economics and the monetary system that even a middle school student can understand. Maybury writes this as a series of letters from “Uncle Eric.” In each letter he carefully explains one principle, beginning with “what is money.” My favorite principle has to be tanstaafl = There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch! A couple of hours reading Maybury is easily equal to countless dinner table conversations over 20+ years with my husband (an economist). I highly recommend this to everyone.

What a depressing book! This is one of the books in my kid's homeschool curriculum. It's a primer on economics and I read it because, well, I could use a primer on economics. I mean, I got the basics down: Don't spend more than you earn. (I've had a hard time following that advice this past year, given all our China related expenses, but that's a story for another time.) Anything more than that, my eyes kind of glaze over. This situation makes it a bit difficult for me to deal with politicians, all of whom seem to be willing to violate that basic rule on a regular basis. Anyway, when I saw this book and realized what it was, I decided to give it a read. Mr. Maybury does give a nice introduction to the whole concept and I can kind of show more understand now why politicians think this deficit spending is a good thing. (still don't agree with them, mind you.) What's depressing, however, is one of Mr. Maybury's economic beliefs: that a strong economy is based on real cash, i.e. precious metals. Ours isn't and hasn't been for a while. So I finished the book feeling that my entire society, including my own livelihood, is an accident waiting to happen. I've never felt more inclined to try and buy a subsistence farm. Anyway, I think I'll keep this one on my shelf, if for no other reason than that my eyes STILL glaze over when people start talking economics.
--J. show less

Based heavily on Austrian economic theory this book does a good job of taking economic concepts and vocabulary and explaining it in layman's terms. Like all the "Uncle Eric" series it is a relatively easy read and geared towards to Middle to High School ages although adults can benefit it as well. One-sided as far as Austrian economics, but the author is honest and open about his bias which is much appreciated.

Most people would get more from these 100 pages than an entire course or series on monetary policy.

Great book that uses history to show mistakes made in the economy, mostly by the government. And many of these mistakes are happening again, now. If only this simple book was required reading for anyone planning to make changes to our economy.

basic currency theory for kids